Spotlight

A fascinating, true crime story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation that revealed the Roman Catholic Church's systematic cover-up of pedophile priests, the Oscar-nominated Spotlight is also the name of the Globe's investigative team, headed up by Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton) and comprised of Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James). The group reports to managing editor Ben Bradlee, Jr. (John Slattery), whose father figured prominently in the Watergate-themed All the President's Men. After the Globe was bought by the New York Times in 2001, a new out-of-towner boss arrived: cost-cutting Marty Baron (Liev Schrieber). Marty fearlessly urges the team to pursue a molestation allegation, a subject that the newspaper has traditionally ignored under tacit pressure from Cardinal Bernard Law (Len Cariou) and officials in the Archdiocese of Boston. Spotlight soon learns that what they are dealing with is not an isolated incident. Indeed, scores of similar claims have been privately settled by an evasive attorney, Eric MacLeish (Billy Crudup), outside the legal system, while those involving paperwork have been sealed by complicit judges—thereby “turning child abuse into a cottage industry.” Directed by Tom McCarthy, the film reveals an institutional conspiracy that protected predators and perpetuated their heinous behavior, moving priests from parish to parish, a process gradually revealed by wary lawyer Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci), who steers the team in the right direction once he realizes their serious intent. A compelling drama that illuminates a timely, still-relevant issue, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the production featurettes “Uncovering the Truth: A Spotlight Team Roundtable” (7 min.), “A Look Inside” (3 min.), “The State of Journalism” (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for this excellent Best Picture nominee.] (S. Granger)